ISO International Organization for Standardizati : The secret to SDG success

Today, we find ourselves in a world of so much division, self-interest and unilateralism. The urgency for all countries to come together has rarely been greater. We need more nations and more leaders to uphold the principle of multilateralism - of cooperation, of consensus building, of joint action in world relations and world affairs. Take, for instance, Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization, which I was involved in at the time. This was very important for us in many ways, since standards were viewed as essential to making our economy more efficient.

Later, during my tenure at the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), I was in charge of integration and macro-economic issues. There were often discussions between the five Member States about which national standard to take. It soon became obvious that EAEU regulations were not just about using one country's national standard because it's the biggest country or the country with the longest history of working on a given subject. Instead, they should constitute a new legal norm based on the most up-to-date national standard, also taking into account international best practice from the scientific point of view.

Standards should not be perceived as a burden but as a booster.

It's encouraging that Member States don't just say, "I want to keep my national standard because it's convenient". Instead, it's important that they understand that "if I keep my national standard, I will not develop my industry, but if I introduce overarching standards that give my economy a boost, then I will be able to compete in the international arena". I believe it's important to understand that standards can be something that moves national economies forward to become more competitive.

Standards should not be perceived as a burden but as a booster. For example, when I was working at the EAEU, we introduced at Union level a number of emissions standards for cars - the stages for emissions regulations typically referred to as Euro 3, Euro 4, Euro 5, and so forth, for light-duty vehicles. Despite the high cost for manufacturers, we went ahead because we felt that we were really doing something towards the fight against climate change. If you know what you are doing, and why you are doing it, it gives you a competitive edge and you are better equipped to compete on the global stage.